All posts tagged: Dublin

BSA Images Of The Week: 05.12.24 / Dublin

BSA Images Of The Week: 05.12.24 / Dublin

Welcome to BSA Images of the Week.

This week, BSA visited Dublin to see the city, talk to people, and check out the local street art scene, and we’ve brought you a few images to share what we discovered. Dublin is a polished and technologically advanced city, home to the European headquarters of major corporations like Google, Meta, and LinkedIn. The Grand Canal Docks area, often referred to as “Silicon Docks,” is known for its concentration of multinational tech companies and financial institutions, and there appears to be a rapacious appetite for new buildings, with cranes gliding slowly above head in a silent skyline dance. Dublin also appears as fertile ground for political discourse, erudition, and civic engagement. It often hosts debates, protests, and rallies on issues from ‘The Troubles’, an influx of immigration, and greater global concerns. Upon our arrival from Belfast, we were immediately struck by a six-story-high banner along the canal proclaiming “Ceasefire now” on Liberty Hall in bold, clear lettering.

Los Asbestos. Dublin, Ireland. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Similarly, Ireland’s most prestigious university, Trinity College, has been the focus of intense and sustained protests by its student body over its financial ties with Israel. On Wednesday, the university announced its decision to divest fully in response to the ongoing decimation of Gaza. In the realm of street art and graffiti, these political sentiments often permeate the works displayed in street art pieces, although graffiti writers typically reserve their most impressive efforts to create sick burners of high quality – and you’ll want to check out places like  Smithfield and Richmond Streets.

Los Asbestos. Dublin, Ireland. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Dublin is clean, green, and cosmopolitan, albeit not unnecessarily flashy. Even so, there were some sketchy moments in a couple of neighborhoods that boasted casinos and more than average shares of people who appeared to struggle with addiction. The city boasts a strong café and pub culture and has a genuinely diverse population, with Spanish, Arabic, Hindi, Romanian, and Polish commonly heard on the streets and in the lush parks full of lovers, players, statues, and magpies. Literary giants like James Joyce, Samuel Beckett, and W.B. Yeats are frequently depicted on banners and backpacks on university campuses and outside museums. The music scene appears to lean toward the big names and sounds on the global stage, distinguished by a strong respect for traditional Irish music and folk music, no doubt shaped and formed in the storytelling by groups like the Chieftains and of course, the Dubliners.

Los Asbestos and Neto Vettorello. Dublin, Ireland. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

We also had the opportunity to visit Francis Bacon’s studio, thanks to a tip from Hooked Blog’s Mark Rigney. This visit to see and listen to recordings of interviews with him at Hugh Lane Gallery reaffirmed that there is no unanimity in the holy space called the artists’ studio. While some artists thrive in chaos and clutter, others prefer a nearly clinical sense of order. Here, we got a greater sense of how Bacon’s Irish heritage and formative years in Dublin influenced his bold, emotionally raw imagery and unique embrace of distortion.

As a balancing act, while we explored the streets, we viewed impressive works by the Dublin-based street artist Asbestos, known for his sharp critiques of social policy and politics. Seeing Asbestos’s work firsthand underscored his art’s scale and emotional depth, reflecting his introspective approach during these times of widespread uncertainty and change.

Los Asbestos and Neto Vettorello. Dublin, Ireland. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Los Asbestos and Neto Vettorello. Dublin, Ireland. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Magdalena Karol. Dublin, Ireland. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
REYK. Dublin, Ireland. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Finger Print. Dublin, Ireland. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Finger Print. Dublin, Ireland. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Unidentified artist. Dublin, Ireland. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
EVOKE. Dublin, Ireland. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Unidentified artist. Dublin, Ireland. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
At the Hugh Lane Gallery exhibition on Francis Bacon: Brian Bourke (b. 1936) “Self-Portrait in Blue Hat”
1965
Oil on canvas, 127 x 114.4 cm
Purchased, 1982
“This is one a series of self-mocking portraits in which Bourke depicts himself wearing incongruous headwear. The modeling of his naked body is in stark contrast to the abstract background, heightening the definition of the figure. There are parallels with Francis Bacon’s work in the placement of the figure in an unidentifiable spatial setting and the way the figure is built up with thicker applications of paint.”
KONE. Dublin, Ireland. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
ICN KONE. Dublin, Ireland. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
KONE. Dublin, Ireland. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
At the Hugh Lane Gallery exhibition on Francis Bacon: Isobel Gloag (1865 – 1917) “The Woman with the Puppets” c. 1915
Oil on canvas. 64.5 x 82.5 cm
Donated by M. R. Gloag

“Gloag depicts a woman lying naked on a bed with a puppet in one hand, and another four cast aside. The puppets are all suited male figures. When this painting was shown in 2016, art critic Cristín Leach described it as “an incontrovertible statement of ownership of space and of self. There is no shame,
only freedom – in every cell… Gloag’s depiction is of a woman as a self-sufficient individual, woman as person not object, woman as an active player not a symbol.”
PCC. Dublin, Ireland. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
AKEN. Dublin, Ireland. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Neto Vettorello. Dublin, Ireland. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Neto Vettorello. Dublin, Ireland. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
ASIK. Dublin, Ireland. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
PENS. Dublin, Ireland. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Unidentified artist. Dublin, Ireland. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
BOBBY130. Dublin, Ireland. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Eraquario. Dublin, Ireland. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
#greyareaproject Dublin, Ireland. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Shane Sutton. Dublin, Ireland. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Shane Sutton. Dublin, Ireland. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
BOBBY144. Dublin, Ireland. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
BLAME. Dublin, Ireland. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
SYSER. Dublin, Ireland. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
JBT. Dublin, Ireland. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
ESTENISMO. Dublin, Ireland. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
ANSEA. Dublin, Ireland. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Dan Irwin. Dublin, Ireland. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Untitled. Ferns. Spring 2024. Dublin, Ireland. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
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Asbestos’ Soul and Transitioning Between Levels of Existence in Dublin

Asbestos’ Soul and Transitioning Between Levels of Existence in Dublin

“I drew inspiration from Joseph Beuys’ visit to Ireland where he spoke in the gallery about the soul and its transition between different levels of existence.” Street artist Asbestos is talking about the near ritualist manner of creation he used for this new mural he’s painted in Dublin.

By uttering an incantation after completing each extinguished match stick, the artist may have held the hand of a dearly departed individual as they passed from this life to the next.

Asbestos. “Pass Freely” in collaboration with Hugh Lane Gallery. Dublin, Ireland. (photo © Sean Curtis)

Each of the nearly five thousand people who passed away during the pandemic in Ireland is intimated here – a searing tribute that he completed over ten days. “Each match represents the life of a person… each extinguished at a different stage of existence,” he tells us. “Each life cut short, along with their hopes, ambitions, and the memories.” 

Asbestos. “Pass Freely” in collaboration with Hugh Lane Gallery. Dublin, Ireland. (photo © Sean Curtis)

Part of a new initiative for the Hugh Lane Gallery, and the new exhibition ‘From Secret Block to ROSC’ by Joseph Beuys, Asbestos tells us about the anonymous figure made of figures just completed.

“When you stand back and view the work from a distance, it forms a profile of me standing and looking up, with my hands raised to the sky,” he says. “This symbol unites the many intertwined matches to form a single representation of hope. United, we are stronger.” 

Asbestos. “Pass Freely” in collaboration with Hugh Lane Gallery. Dublin, Ireland. (photo © Sean Curtis)
Asbestos. “Pass Freely” in collaboration with Hugh Lane Gallery. Dublin, Ireland. (photo © Sean Curtis)
Asbestos. “Pass Freely” in collaboration with Hugh Lane Gallery. Dublin, Ireland. (photo © Sean Curtis)
Asbestos. “Pass Freely” in collaboration with Hugh Lane Gallery. Dublin, Ireland. (photo © Sean Curtis)
Asbestos. “Pass Freely” in collaboration with Hugh Lane Gallery. Dublin, Ireland. (photo © Sean Curtis)

Credits:

Artist: Asbestos – @artofasbestos

Hugh Lane Gallery @thehughlane

Film and Photography Sean Curtis @designmaketake

Mural Assisted by Colm Weakliam @withoutmatter

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Asbestos is “Fragile” Right Now / Dispatch From Dublin

Asbestos is “Fragile” Right Now / Dispatch From Dublin

Irish street artist Asbestos likes peeking out, just his inquisitive orbs taking you in from a safe space. “We all wear masks every second of the day.” Naturally that’s not hard to do since much of the world has been in quarantine a lot lately.

But all these world events have left him feeling fragile to tell the truth.

Asbestos. Dublin, Ireland. (photo © Asbestos)

“I am fragile,” he says. “And I can feel how fragile we all are right now.”

This new mural in Dublin speaks to health, communities, our very lives, he says. It also speaks about masks that people wear to hide how they’re really feeling right now in a time of great social, political, and financial upheaval that you know is irreversible but you cannot predict where it goes.

“We deny how fragile we are. I wear these masks to hide the irrelevant parts of my identity, and this mural let’s my eyes speak, if not shout out how fragile I am. It’s empowering to admit that I’m fragile.”

Asbestos. Dublin, Ireland. (photo © Asbestos)
Asbestos. Dublin, Ireland. (photo © Asbestos)
Asbestos. Dublin, Ireland. (photo © Asbestos)
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Joe Caslin in Dublin and On a Castle for Same-Sex Marriage

Joe Caslin in Dublin and On a Castle for Same-Sex Marriage

Irish illustrator Joe Caslin has just completed a two-mural campaign this spring in Dublin’s city center on the side of a castle in Co Galway in support of this May’s country-wide same-sex marriage referendum. At the end of decades of activism by many in the LGBT community, these giant murals may have helped to sway the outcome – they certainly resulted in a lot of attention on social media and even the front page of the International New York Times.

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Joe Caslin. The Castle. Detail. Caherkinmonwee Castle. Galway, Ireland. (photo © Gavin Leane)

The image on the side of the seven story Mercantile building was inspired by Meeting on the Turret Stairs, the sorrowful passing of unrequited lovers depicted by Fredric William Burton’s in his1864 painting. Wind and rain quickly damaged the pasted paper version of his hand-drawn illustration, but not before it was recorded and parlayed across mobile devices and television screens.

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Joe Caslin. The Castle. Detail. Caherkinmonwee Castle. Galway, Ireland. (photo © Gavin Leane)

Far away from the city and surrounded by cows grazing in bucolic pastures, Caslin’s second illustration, this time featuring two lovely young women in an embrace, was affixed with potato-starch based paste onto the façade of a grand structure, the Caherkinmonwee Castle in Co Galway. If you were looking for a more fitting frame for your portrait, you would be hard pressed to beat this one and Joe once again proves that location and context is king (or queen).

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Joe Caslin. The Castle. Detail. Caherkinmonwee Castle. Galway, Ireland. (photo © Gavin Leane)

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Joe Caslin. Drawing for The Castle. (photo © Joe Caslin)

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Joe Caslin. The Castle. Caherkinmonwee Castle. Galway, Ireland. (photo © David Sexton)

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Joe Caslin. Equity. Process shot. Dublin, Ireland. (photo © Peter O’Dwyer)

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Joe Caslin. Equity. Process shot. Dublin, Ireland. (photo © Peter O’Dwyer)

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Joe Caslin. Equity. Process shot. Dublin, Ireland. (photo © Peter O’Dwyer)

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Joe Caslin. Equity. Process shot. Dublin, Ireland. (photo © Peter O’Dwyer)

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Joe Caslin. Drawing for Equity. (photo © Joe Caslin)

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Joe Caslin. Equity. Dublin, Ireland. (photo © Peter O’Dwyer)

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Joe Caslin Carries “Our Nation’s Sons” to Trinity in Dublin

Joe Caslin Carries “Our Nation’s Sons” to Trinity in Dublin

After visiting the prison Kilmainham Gaol the second most popular place for visitors in Dublin is probably Trinity College. That’s where the latest installment of ‘Our Nations Sons’ is laying as it waits to be plastered on the 400 year old institution of learning that has about 17,000 current students.

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Joe Caslin “Our Nation’s Sons” Original drawing for the installation at Dublin’s Trinity College ( © Joe Caslin)

Street Artist and illustrator Joe Caslin, who has been creating and executing the huge installations of marginalized or unfairly demonized youth on the streets of Edinburgh, tells us that the series will conclude at the end of the year. The portraits are drawn by him but the installations take a small team, even if the piece looks small in Trinity’s Great Hall as it is laid out for final alterations before it goes up.

“What looks massive on the floor gets somewhat consumed by the enormity of the urban landscape; This hall was given to us for the duration of the installation. We slept there, mixed paste there and made all final adjustments to the drawings. That night it was ours and it became our studio – we felt like we owned the space,” says Caslin.

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Joe Caslin “Our Nation’s Sons” Process shot. Trinity College, Dublin. April 2014. (photo © Gavin Leane)

Miguel, who is the subject of this portrait, was also part of the crew who installed it on an overnight that lasted until 5:30 am. He admits it feels kind of strange to be pasting his own image on such a scale on a wall, but also says he likes the team.

“It was tough pasting through the night, there is no denying that. But I suppose it’s not everyday you stick a 42 foot monolith of yourself on a wall in Trinity College. The crew warmly accepted me as the clueless new lad. We worked in the cold and rain, but working with such a great team of hardened workers made the laboring that bit easier. Above all I am proud to be part of such an inspiring project,” Miguel says.

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Joe Caslin “Our Nation’s Sons” Process shot. Trinity College, Dublin. April 2014. (photo © Gavin Leane)

“The portraits have been interpreted as a commentary on the social isolation of young men, issues surrounding suicide, how society perceives young men as a menace and more,” says the artist who conceived ‘Our Nations Sons’. Undoubtedly the sheer scale is a helpful reminder that everybody has something valuable to offer to the conversation, and Caslin managed to be persuasive with the university to let it happen.

“I think the power of both the subject matter and the portrait made this a much easier decision for Trinity to make at the end of the day. Who knows! I’m just happy it exists within the centre of Dublin city and on such a prestigious site,” he says.

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Joe Caslin “Our Nation’s Sons” Process shot. Trinity College, Dublin. April 2014. (photo © Gavin Leane)

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Joe Caslin “Our Nation’s Sons” Process shot. Trinity College, Dublin. April 2014. (photo © Gavin Leane)

 

To read more about “Our Nation’s Sons” click HERE

 

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Conor Harrington Goes Wild West; “Ireland Balls Deep in Recession”

Irish Street Artist and fine artist Conor Harrington is currently visiting his motherland and he has decided to explore the Wild West on walls…he’s been  painting a series of cowboys and cow herders to continue his exploration of manhood and the excesses of bulls and markets.

brooklyn-street-art-conor-harrington-dublin-cowboysConor Harrington. Ennis. (image © Conor Harrington)

“I’m home in Ireland for 10 days painting a few walls and making another short film with Monsieur Andy Telling. Its a lil different this time, no soldiers or colonial garb. I decided to do a project a little more relevant to what’s going on in Ireland at the moment. For those that aren’t aware, Ireland is balls deep in a recession thanks to the Holy Trinity of Irish corruption – the politicians, bankers and developers.”

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Conor Harrington. Dublin (image © Conor Harrington)

“We arrived in Ennis on Monday evening and started work straight away. Good to be over in the West, took a drive up the coast and even braved the Atlantic for about 3 minutes Painting these spots is always good. People are amazing, they appreciate what you do as opposed to in most big cities where they stand there and think ‘I could do better’.” Conor Harrington

Click here to go to Conor’s site and continue reading….

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Images of the Week 06.05.11

Brooklyn-Street-Art-IMAGES-OF-THE-WEEK_05-2010

Our weekly interview with the Streets, this week including images from New York, Detroit, and Amsterdam, and work by C215, Dan Sabau, El Sol 25, Gilf!, Goons, Karma, Nice-One, and Specter.

brooklyn-street-art-c215-jaime-rojo-06-11-webC215 (photo © Jaime Rojo) C215 says he has put more than 90 stencils in Williamsburg in the last three years…we just found another.

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Street Artist Gilf! has been trying something new by adding to her stencils a bit of  toule, which is a departure from earlier work and a hard word to try and pronounce.

Gilf! (photo © Jaime Rojo)

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Gilf! (photo © Jaime Rojo)

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Unknown (photo © Jaime Rojo)

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El Sol 25 (photo © Jaime Rojo)

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Dan Sabau (photo © Jaime Rojo)

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Goons meditates and levitates (photo © Jaime Rojo)

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Nice-One continues with his series of fantastic space ships  (photo © Jaime Rojo)

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Nice-One has suddenly appeared in many places in BK, including this large wall directly over a long running Lister (photo © Jaime Rojo)

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A portrait on a postal mailing sticker in marker, cut out. Unknown (photo © Jaime Rojo)

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Specter on a flash trip to Detroit managed to paint this stark black portrait on a boarded up building (photo © Specter)

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Specter (photo © Specter)

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Karma in the Chinatown section of Amsterdam (photo © Courtesy of the artist)

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Karma in Amsterdam (photo © Courtesy of the artist)

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Images of the Week 12.12.10

Images of the Week 12.12.10

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Our weekly interview with the streets, this week featuring Burning Candy, Deeker, DsCreet, Earl Greyhound, Goya, Jimmy Snatch, KARMA, Kill, Nineta, Paul Richard,Plasma Slug, Shin Shin, Skewville, Tek33, and UFO

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Burning Candy Tek 33 and Dscreet at Factory Fresh Gallery (photo © Jaime Rojo)

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Burning Candy Tek 33 and Dscreet at Factory Fresh Gallery (photo © Jaime Rojo)

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A cluster of original pencil drawn faces by an anonymous artist (photo © Jaime Rojo)

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Whatever you say, Paul! Paul Richard (photo © Jaime Rojo)

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A B&W photograph of a boy by an anonymous artist. And by the way, Brooklyn trio Earl Greyhound Rocks! (photo © Jaime Rojo)

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Deeks offers this withering assessment: “Good For Nothing”. And there’s a little pink Plasma Slug too. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

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Skewville sayz: “You are not in Kansas anymore” (photo © Jaime Rojo)

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Skewville (photo © Jaime Rojo)

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Goya and UFO (photo © Jaime  Rojo)

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A Death Panel of some sort. Kill (photo © Jaime Rojo)

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Nineta (photo © Jaime Rojo)

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Dashing through the snooooww.  ShinShin (photo © Jaime Rojo)

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KARMA “Be Kind To One Another Because Most Of Us Are Fighting A Hard Battle” Dublin, Ireland (photo © Jimmy Snatch)

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